Lee Koonce

President & Artistic Director

Lee Koonce currently serves as Senior Advisor to Gateways Music Festival. He served as Gateways’ President & Artistic Director from 2016 through 2023.  From 2009 until 2015, he served as chair of Gateways’ Artistic Programs Committee, a group of Gateways musicians who oversee the Festival’s musical activities.

Prior to his appointment as President & Artistic Director of Gateways Music Festival, Mr. Koonce served as Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico in New York City for two years. From 2006-2013, he served as Executive Director of Third Street Music School Settlement where he led efforts to strengthen the board and the School’s programs, increase the endowment, complete long-range planning, increase enrollment and develop an effective management team. Founded in 1894, Third Street is the oldest community music school in the nation and serves more than 5,000 children and adults each year.  Instruction takes place both at the School’s main building in New York’s East Village and through partnerships with local public schools and community organizations across Manhattan’s Lower East Side. 

Mr. Koonce served as Director of Community Relations for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) from 1996 to 2001. In this position, he was responsible for the creation and implementation of internal and external programs that enabled the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to reach more diverse communities. With his leadership, the CSO developed a long-range, organization-wide Community Engagement Plan called “A Time to Engage.” In addition to his work on external programs, Mr. Koonce was also responsible for the CSO’s initiative to increase diversity among the CSO organization including musicians, trustees, volunteers, staff, and audiences and artistic programs.

Mr. Koonce earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from Oberlin College, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Musical America named Mr. Koonce one of its Top 30 Professionals in 2023 and he will receive the League of American Orchestra’s Gold Baton Award in June 2024.